


Things Left Unsaid

by Denois



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Future Fic, Getting Together, M/M, background Christopher "Chowder" Chow/Caitlin Farmer, brief description of near anxiety attack, canon typical cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois
Summary: It's been years since graduation, since the last time Derek and Will spoke.Sometimes things are said and can't be taken back.Sometimes things are left unsaid, and the chance is missed.
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter
Comments: 14
Kudos: 87





	Things Left Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this like almost 3 months ago? apparently? I found it in discord when looking for something else. I wrote it when very tired, and came to the decision that angst is stored in the sleepy brain. Also, my brain might have been punishing me for writing other ships because I was trying to finish the Reverse Bang fics at that time.
> 
> Big thanks to the usual suspects, [Draskireis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/draskireis) and [Lynewt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynewt), for reading through, questioning my grammar, reminding me that tenses and commas are both things that exist and I should use fewer of the first and more of the second.

He shouldn't have come. He shouldn't have come. He shouldn't have come.

But he had to. It was Chris and Cait. He couldn't miss this for them. Even though it meant-.

"Hey, Nurse." Will's face was just slightly disbelieving, as always. It was fuller, thin lines and more freckles appearing than he remembered. And of course, Will couldn't use his first name. Wouldn't. 

"Hey, Will. How have things been going?" He needed a drink. That's what he needed. Something to get him through this and keep him from opening his mouth. Because he'd sworn to himself. He'd promised. Will would never know.

"Good good. Work, you know?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah. I hear ya."

He did know. Technically, he set his own schedule for the most part, and planned his own itinerary, but he'd been keeping busy. Less time to think.

"No date?" Seriously, he needed something to drink. That was a barely acceptable question to ask.

"Nah. Couldn't make it." Will lifted a corner of his mouth in a smile. "You?"

"Nothing serious right now, you know. No one I'd trust Chris and Cait with."

"A little casual dating never hurt anyone. That's true." Will nodded again. "Well, it was really good to see you again. But I think there's a networking opportunity for me over there, so I better...." He trailed off with a twitch of a shrug before wandering off. 

Derek closed his eyes and took five deep breaths before marching away from the crowd to find somewhere to be alone with his thoughts. Somewhere no one would see him and tell Will. Will could never know he hadn't moved on.

* * *

Will stood on the beach and watched the sunlight glinting on the water. It wasn't the ocean he was used to. The beach, the water, even the sun were all different. But still, it was the ocean, and that was good enough. He wrapped his arms around himself. What had possessed him to approach Derek?

"Will."

"Don't. I-." He broke off with a sigh. "You shouldn't be down here chasing after me."

Cait's shoulder bumped into his arm. "Chris and I flipped a coin." 

"Neither of you should be down here. You should be up there, celebrating."

"Yeah, well. You know we care about you, so here I am."

"Here you are."

Cait sighed. "You still love him?"

"Always will do."

"It's been awhile. He's changed."

Will shrugged. "So have I."

"Will-"

"I didn't say we'd work. Maybe we changed so we'd be better, or maybe it would be worse. Whatever his reasons for walking away before, I'm sure they were good ones. Which is why he doesn't need to know."

Cait's hand hit his bicep and she moved to stand in front of him. "He doesn't need to know?"

"He shouldn't be burdened by me. He'll think I've moved on. Like he has."

"Tell him, Will. What could it hurt?"

Will looked her in the eyes. It took two tries before he could form the words. "The last time I told him how I felt, we stopped talking. So-" He broke off and shrugged again.

* * *

Derek was very much not having a panic attack. That would be scary and bad and things were already scary and bad enough, so he wasn't going to do it. He sat on the floor of the bathroom and pressed his palms against the cold tile.

Will had really moved on. He'd expected it. Of course. 

But to hear him say that there was someone, someone worth bringing to this, to meet Chris and Cait. Someone Special. Derek said a silent thank you to whoever had made that someone special have some other engagement they couldn't get out of so that he hadn't had to see Will happy with someone else. 

He wanted Will to be happy. Of course he did. But that didn't mean he wanted to see someone else be the cause of that. 

The door opened an inch and smacked him in the thigh.

"Move."

"It's occupied."

"I know that, dumbass. Let me in." Chris. Chris had come looking for him when he should be with the guests.

Derek sighed and scooted over so the door would open enough for Chris to enter and sit beside him.

"Ok. First. Are you ok?"

"M'fine. Will's happy so I'm happy." He didn't bother scrubbing at the tear stains on his cheeks. They'd been leaking slowly and it didn't seem worth the bother.

"You still love him?"

"Always will do."

"Then why don't you tell him?"

"I-." He started and stopped. There were so many ways to finish that sentence.

He'd already fucked it up once. He still couldn't ask that of Will. He still couldn't be what Will needed. 

"I can't. He doesn't need to know. He's moved on, so it's best if he thinks I have, too." 

Chris made a sad sound and leaned his head against Derek's shoulder.

* * *

Will opened the door and felt the blood freeze in his veins and the smile freeze on his lips. "Hey, Nurse."

Derek's answering smile seemed just as forced. "Hey Will."

"Uh, come in, I guess. Chris didn't say that you were the friend he invited." Will stood back from the door, glancing around the apartment. 

It wasn't necessary. It wasn't like he regularly kept a banner up proclaiming the fact he was in love with his former best friend. But he felt better with the reassurance that he hadn't somehow accidentally redecorated and put pictures of Derek all over the place. The only one visible was a group shot of the four of them at graduation. Perfectly reasonable picture to have mixed in with shots of his family. 

"He didn't tell me that the friend we were visiting was you, either." Derek stepped past and gave the apartment a similar glance around.

Will nodded, even though Derek's back was to him. It made sense. Derek wouldn't have agreed if he'd known, probably. 

"To tell the truth, I've missed hanging out with you." 

What the hell. The door was still open, if Derek wanted to run again, now was the perfect time.

Instead, Derek turned with a lazy smile. "Ch'yeah? Well, I've missed eating your food." 

He held out a bottle of wine and Will took it, looking at the label as though it would help him. 

"Sorry for the poor host gift. Like I said, Chris didn't tell me it was your place we were going to. Or do you drink wine now?"

"No. But it's ok. You can have it with dinner. Is this one that gets served chilled, or-?"

"Nah. It's fine like this." 

Apparently, Derek was fine with staying, so Will shut the door and took the wine into the dining area before retrieving an extra glass (probably the wrong kind, but the kind he had) and pulling out his multi-tool to use the corkscrew. Two phone chirps went off, one after the other, and he and Derek both paused to pull out their phones.

"Oh look, Chris can't make it."

"You don't have to stay."

"Are you kidding? If I tried to leave now, my stomach would stage a mutiny and kill me. I told you. I missed your cooking."

Will nodded. "Well, it's just about ready."

* * *

Derek stared out the door into the silence of the night and thought about how he should have taken Will's offer to leave when he'd first arrived. Sure, Will had said that he'd missed hanging out. Sure, there hadn't been any pictures of an SO or indication that Will would be waiting on someone other than him and Chris. Sure, they'd had a great time talking and laughing, nearly like old times. Sure, Will was an even better cook than he'd remembered. But dinner had ended and Will had shown him out and he was right that proof of Will being happy without him hurt worse than just knowing without seeing.

And more importantly, if he'd left right after arriving, he'd be safely in his own place by now or at least would have realized that it had started snowing. And not just a little. It hadn't been that long, how was there so much snow? 

There were no cars on the streets and there was no way he could walk that far. He sighed and steeled his nerves. He was being punished. Only explanation. 

When Will opened the door again, he was already dressed for bed in sweatpants with no shirt. The same look of confusion on his face. 

"Apparently, there's a blizzard."

Will glanced towards the window. "Oh, damn. That wasn’t in the forecast."

"Yeah." Derek shuffled a little. "Could I crash on your couch or something? The plows haven't been through and it didn't look like any cars were out. It's too thick."

"Ayuh. Of course. I mean. I'll take the couch." 

Derek shook his head. "No. It's fine. I'm imposing."

"D-Nurse. You're my guest. You aren't sleeping on the couch."

Derek paused just inside the door and stared at Will. He was probably hearing things. But he forgot to argue back as Will showed him to another door. 

"Sweats in the bottom right drawer if you want."

Derek glanced around the room. Clean and simple. What he expected.

He stopped and closed his eyes to take a deep breath. "Will?"

"Did you need something else?"

The silk pillowcases could be explained away. Will had never told him anything about his SOs, current or past. But Derek knew he was conscientious enough to have gotten the pillowcases if one of them needed them. 

But the picture. He walked over to the nightstand and picked it up. He remembered when it was taken. Cait had been taking a photography class and Derek'd joked that they could do any couple's poses she needed, then jumped into Will's arms. He didn't remember Will looking at him like that.

"Fuck."

He turned to see Will watching him. Eyes wary and ears reddening. 

"It's no big deal. Ok. I won't make it weird. The door locks from the inside, so you don't have to worry. I'll just-." Will clamped his mouth shut with a click and then pulled the door to the bedroom closed. 

The room was small enough that Derek opened it only seconds later and to find Will pacing in the living area. 

"Will. I don't need a door lock. I-." He looked down at the picture again, which he hadn't thought to set down. "If you still want to kiss me, the answer's yes." 

Will looked at him slowly. "I can't do this, Derek. You're here because Chris is a schemer and there's a blizzard. I'm not going to-" 

"Oh. Right. You've moved on." Derek nodded slowly before turning to go back to the room.

Behind him, Will made a strangled noise. "Of course, I haven't. But I'd-." There was a pause. "How many times do you want me to watch you walk away?"

Derek turned back around. He set the picture on an end table and slowly stepped towards Will. "I'm not walking away, Will. Not this time. Do you still want to kiss me? Because I've been regretting not saying yes to that question for too long." 

It was a good thing that he'd gotten so close, Will's answer was barely more than a breath. Then breathing didn't seem near as important as the feeling of Will's lips under his and Will's hands gripping his shirt.

**Author's Note:**

> What were Cait and Chris celebrating? good question! I think probably Cait graduating from grad school?


End file.
